Combined boat hook and oar paddle



' March 1, 1955 P. A. AKE

COMBINED BOAT HOOK AND OAR PADDLE Filed July 15. 1953 IN VENT OR fkzzifldfi BY ww ATTORNEY i ari United States Patent COMBINED BOAT HOOK AND OAR PADDLE Paul D. Ake, Northfield, N. J.

Application July 15, 1953, Serial No. 368,044

1 Claim. (Cl. 9-24) My invention relates-to a new and useful improvement in a combined boat hook and paddle.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a boat hook and paddle wherein the same will be extremely strong and, although the paddle is not an integral part of the handle, the same will be as strongor even stronger than if the handle and the paddle portions were integral.

Another object of the invention is to provide a combined boat hook and paddle wherein the handle will be provided with a groove at its distal end in which is cemented a paddle, the paddle in turn having an extended portion or stem; and the distal end of the handle and the stem of the paddle forced into the tapered shank of the metal boat hook proper, so that the metal hook additionally clamps the cemented paddle in the slot within the distal end of the paddle.

As is well known a boat hook is used to push ofi from a dock or hold the boat oif from the dock when landing, or to pick up a line, anchor rope, or painter, etc.; and where a boat hook is used on a boat provided with an outboard motor, it sometimes happens that the engine will be cut off too soon or too late, and it is then necessary to use an oar or paddle to again approach the dock or wharf.

The present invention, therefore, contemplates a combined boat hook and paddle so that it is not necessary to have not only a boat hook but an additional oar or paddle.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a combined boat hook and paddle, wherein the paddle has its face at right angles to the hook so that there is no chance of the paddle fouling a line or missing a line when the boat hook is used as a boat hook rather than a paddle.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in certain new and novel arrangements and combination of parts as will be hereinafter more fully explained and pointed out in the claim.

Referring now to the drawings, showing a preferred embodiment,

Fig. l is a side elevation of a combined boat hook and paddle,

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view, partly in section, taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a section taken on line 33 of Fig. 2,

Fig. 4 is an end view, and

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 3.

Referring now more particularly to the several views and for the moment to Fig. 1, there is shown the handle 1 having a slot or groove 2 formed in its distal end. This groove 2 extends rearwardly and is approximately the length of the paddle 3.

Referring now to the paddle 3 it is preferably made of a plywood or laminated wood, which is inherently of great strength and is impervious to water or moisture. The contour of the paddle 3 may be of any desired shape, although I have found that the inverted pear-shape, as illustrated, is eflicient. The lower end of the paddle 3 is provided with an integral extension or stem 4. The paddle 3 will therefore not only be cemented and clamped within the groove 2 of the handle 1, but it will also have the stem or extension 4 clamped within the hollow metal boat hook shank.

Referring now to the metal book hook proper 5, it will,

be of the conventional construction and has the rather blunt or ball end 6 and the curved hook portion 7, and the hollow inner end or shank 8 in which is to be cemented the distal end of the handle 1. The hollow end 8 of the boat hook 5 is tapered as well as the distal end of the handle 1, so that the handle 1 may be forced well down into the inner end 8 with a tapered cemented fit to more tightly clamp the paddle 3 in place.

When the end of the handle 1 is forced into the inner end 8 of the metal boat hook 5, enough cement will be supplied in the hollow end 8 to tightly hold the two parts together; and by having a tapered fit between the boat hook 5 and the handle 1, the forcing of the handle 1, that is, its lower end, into the shank 8 will tend to firmly compress the walls of the groove 2 tightly about the stem 4 of the paddle 3.

It is to be remembered that when the handle 1 with the paddle 3 is assembled or fitted within the hook proper 5, the paddle 3, that is, its greater dimension or face should be at right angles to the hooked portion 7, so that when the combined boat hook and paddle is used as a boat hook to pick up a line, the paddle portion 3 can in no way interfere with the hooking of the line by the hooked portion 7 of the metal hook 5. 7

Boat hooks vary in size, depending on the size of the boat with which theyare used; and I do not wish to be limited as to the width of the paddle nor the length of the handle and the boat hook.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that I have provided a combined boat hook and paddle which is especially adaptable for use with small boats, making it unnecessary to have an oar or paddle besides the boat hook; also that by compressing the paddle 3 in afslot 2 in the lower end of the handle 1 and then jamming this lower end into a tapered metal boat hook 5, besides the paddle 3 being cemented, the walls of the groove 2 will be tightly compressed and add to the strength of the fastening between the paddle 3 and this handle 1.

Finally, it will be seen that to construct the combined boat hook and paddle, "it is only necessary to take the conventional handle, cut the groove in the lower end thereof, insert the paddle, and then force the handle into the boat hook proper, and cement the parts to thus provide a stronger and more efficient boat hook and paddle than if the paddle was an integral part of the handle.

Although I have mentioned throughout the specification and in the drawings have shown a boat hook with a blunt end, it will be understood that the invention contemplates the use of either a sharp-ended boat hook or a blunt-ended boat hook, as both forms are conventional.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

In a combined boat hook and paddle, a metal boat hook having a relatively blunt end, a hooked portion spaced inwardly from the end, and a hollow shank; a handle provided with a groove in its distal end; a paddle of inverted pear-shape and with an extended stem, the thickness of the paddle being substantially the same as the width of the groove in the handle, the paddle cemented within said groove; the distal end of the handle and the said stem tightly fitted and cemented within the hollow shank of the boat hook to thus compress the side walls of the groove tightly against the said paddle and also compress said stem within said hollow shank, and the face of the paddle extending in a plane at right angles with respect to the hooked portion of the boat hook.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 42,389 McMillan Apr. 19, 1864 864,250 Moriarty Aug. 27, 1907 2,380,870 Reed July 31, 1945 2,448,864 Crandall Sept. 7, 1948 2,477,410 Johnson July 26, 1949 

